The 2020 Toyota Supra will be available with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder in Japan and it looks like the engine could potentially be offered in the United States in the future.
As noticed by Automobile, the California Air Resources Board recently certified BMW’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine for use in a number of different models including the 2-, 3- and 4-Series as well as the Z4. That’s not too unusual, but the paperwork also mentions a 2020 Toyota Supra 2.0.
That’s interesting as the Supra’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is available with two different outputs. The entry-level unit produces 194 hp (145 kW / 197 PS) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque. This allows the coupe to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 6.5 seconds.
Likewise, the Supra SZ-R has an upgraded 2.0-liter engine with 254 hp (190 kW / 258 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. Thanks to the extra power, the dash to 62 mph (100 km/h) is cut to 5.2 seconds.
Those numbers aren’t too shabby, but the US-spec model has a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with 335 hp (250 kW / 340 PS) and 365 lb-ft (494 Nm) of torque. This allows the car to run from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in approximately 4.1 seconds.
While the document suggests the 2.0-liter engine could be offered in the US-spec Supra, Toyota downplayed this possibility in statements to Jalopnik and Road & Track. As a spokesperson explained, “BMW took steps to certify an engine for a variety of uses” and “at this point, Toyota’s plans for the Supra in the U.S. include only the 3.0-liter inline-six that will be in the 2020 Supra when it goes on sale this summer.”
The statement is interesting as it seems to suggest the four-cylinder engine could eventually be offered in the United States. However, there are no plans for it at “this point” as the spokesperson noted.
We could be reading too much into this, but Supra chief engineer Tetsuya Tada has previously said the “Supra needs to continue to evolve each year.” This suggests we can expect continuous updates, but whether or not those plans include a four-cylinder variant for America remain to be seen.